Rune Mage Rising
by Shran
Summary: AU - What if the Boy-Who-Lived was merely a survivor, nothing more, what if the prophesy was never meant for him to fulfill, after all many prophesies go unfulfilled, maybe there was someone else who would save the day, someone quite unexpected, Seth.
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

**Rune Mage Rising, by Shran.**

**Prologue – The price of love .**

The young blond haired woman ran franticly through the streets of London. Her hair streaming out behind her like a halo, her breath coming in gasps, tears streaming down her face. In her arms tenderly embraced was a small child wrapped in a blanket, her son. Looking over her shoulder, in quick jerky almost involuntary twists of her head, it was evident to any observer, had there been any at three am on a cold morning on the first morning of November 1981, that she was in serious trouble.

Abruptly the young woman came to a halt, before her was a arched gate which read, _St Andrew's Children's Home_, it was an orphanage. With a determined look on her face she ran up to the gate, squeezed in and raced up the drive way to the main building.

Sister Alice, an Anglican nun in her early thirties, had been up for most of the night. She had been trying to settle one of her charges with a nasty bout of the flu, and the child had finally drifted off to a comfortable sleep half an hour ago. She wanted nothing more than to slip into her warm bed, but something was bothering her, something was wrong, and she just couldn't put her finger on it. Sighing she started to check the grounds, knowing full well she wouldn't get any sleep until she worked out what it was that was bothering her. She had just reached the main door of the residence, when there was a loud bang from the knocker on the door.

Sister Alice, let out a quickly stifled shriek of surprise, nearly falling over from fright. _Lord why does that always happen to me?_ she thought, as it was a long running joke amongst the nuns running the home that she was a bit of a scaredy cat. She went to the door and peering out could see a young woman leaning against the entrance wall. _Poor thing, looks like the weight of the world is on her shoulders._

She opened the door, "Hello can I help you dear?"

The woman looked up, despair and fear plain to see in her eyes. She stepped forward into the light giving Sister Alice a better look at her. She was beautiful, clear pale skin, white blond hair nearly to her waist, and brilliant blue eyes that seemed almost luminescent in the light of the entrance. She was wearing what seemed to be one of those medieval dresses you see at re-enactment festivals, and was holding a wand in right her hand.

"A wand! Are... are you a witch?"

"You... you know about witches and the Wizarding world?" a slight accent was detectable in her voice, a harmonious lilt that gave away her French ancestry, barely noticeable though as her diction was impeccable.

"Um, yes, my sister is a witch, she lives in Ireland with her husband, teaches at one of the primary schools there."

"Oh thank God!" said the woman with a sigh of relief, "this will make things easier. Listen carefully please. I need you to take care of my son, I am being hunted by the followers of Voldemort..."

"Voldemort!" squeaked Sister Alice in fright "that madman running around killing everyone?"

"Yes, they have placed a tracker spell on me, I have managed to mask it temporally but the effect is wearing off and it wont work a second time. I'm not strong enough to get rid of it, I'm dead already but I wont let them kill him too!" she looked down at her son, tears flowing freely.

Sister Alice's heart went out to this young woman, so young, she couldn't be more than twenty, and yet such a burden to carry, "You want us to take care of him so that those evil men wont find him?"

"Please! I can't think of anything else to do!" she replied desperately. Sister Alice stepped closer and put her arms around the young woman.

"Of course we will take him, I will look after him like he was my own."

Relief washed over the young witches face like a cloud passing by on a sunny day. "Thank you. His name is Seth Darkmayne, this wasn't his original birth name, my husband and I changed it to protect him. My... My... husband William, he died an hour ago buying us time to get away" she chocked back a sob, "My name is Celeste, tell him when he gets older that we loved him, we were happy to die to protect him and we will always watch over him. When he gets his Hogwarts letter go to Gringotts, the Wizard bank. We have an account there in trust for him under his new name. There are personal things there too, letters, photo's so he can know who he came from." She paused and reached into her robes, pulling out a pouch that clinked handing it to Sister Alice, "Here, it's not that much, only 200 galleons but it will help towards his expenses, take this locket, his father gave it to me when we became a couple, and my wand as well."

"Won't you need that?" asked Alice taking the items.

"I have a spare, dropped by one of them in the attack," she scowled, "I don't want those bastards to have my wand, it is a family heirloom, and it's been in our family for centuries, it's priceless to our family."

She looked at her arm, waving the other wand, a orange glow appeared at its tip. "I must go there is very little time left," she took her son in her arms cradling his sleeping face against her own. "Mon Cherie, momma loves you, oui? Never forget that, never, grow up to be strong, and learn to fight well so you can protect those you love. Je t'aime Seth, I love you." The baby stirred, starting to fret sensing his mother's distress. Her heart breaking in her eyes, Celeste handed the child to Sister Alice, now also crying, and backed away clutching her arms to her chest in distress. "They will not take me alive, he will be safe!" she cried, spun on her heel and pelted down the driveway.

Sister Alice watched as she raced down the hill, and began to cross the sport fields belonging to the local primary school. Suddenly there were flashes of light all around her, and magical energies began flying everywhere. Sister Alice quickly reached over and shut the door, turning the light off, and moved into the adjacent room to watch what happened. She wanted to know so she could tell Seth when he was older, but she didn't want to take the risk of someone noticing her doing so. No this child was far to precious to risk that recklessly. Stepping up to the window, she could see the energies still flying back and forth, Celeste must have had some small cover to hide behind, to have lasted so long, as there seemed to be a least ten of them facing her. And then it was all over, the lights stopped, and everything went quiet.

* * *

xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx

"Fuck! The bloody bitch took poison! We're totally screwed, when our Master finds out he is not going to be happy. We can kiss the Le Chatelier fortune goodbye." A figure in black with a pale mask, stalked over to look at the body of Celeste. He kicked her several times in frustration, before being glared at by another figure in black who had been examining her. "Shit Lucius, who would have thought a healer could put up such a fight, let alone have the strength to resist an _imperius_ long enough to inject herself with poison. What did she use Snape?" looking back down at the man crouched over the plunger the woman had used to end her life.

"A rather clever mix of cyanide and basilisk venom, totally lethal and almost instantaneous, she knew what we wanted and was quite determined to thwart us it seems." Snape replied.

Another figure in black strolled over, although all its features were hidden it still managed to make abundantly clear that it was female, and deadly. "What happened to her brat, I thought she took it with her when she ran off while we knocking off that mudblood husband of hers."

"She must of dropped him off somewhere while the tracking spell was masked, he could be anywhere, no point looking for him now."

Suddenly there was a crack of displaced air near them, and they all spun wands at the ready. It was one of their compatriots who had gone to report in.

"Lucius! Lestrange! The Master! He's... he..'s... gone!" The calm of a moment before was shattered in the resultant pandemonium, and in an instant multiple cracks were heard as the figure's in black disappeared. Lying there on the cold grass, like a puppet with the strings cut, lay the remains of Celeste Le Chatelier, victorious in her death.


	2. Chapter 2 Parting Words

Nine Year's Later...

"Come on Seth wake up!"

"Mmmm... Just a few more minutes Sister..."

"SETH!"

"Ahhh! I'm awake!" yelled Seth sitting bolt upright. Sister Alice had a good set of lungs.

"Honestly Seth you are the worst example of someone not being a morning persona that I have ever come across. Now hurry up and get ready lad, Hermione's waiting downstairs for you."

"What! Already, what time is it!" exclaimed the dismayed young boy, launching himself out of bed in a panic only to get tangled in the sheets and collapse with a thud in a heap on the floor. The tinkling peals of laughter from Sister Alice causing the boy to glare at her, after all no ten year likes to look like an idiot.

"I'll go downstairs and tell her you'll still be a few minutes."

"Thanks Sister!" yelled Seth racing for the bathroom at the end of the hall.

Being one of the longer term residents in the home Seth had graduated to a room of his own last year, rather than having to share, which was something he relished. However, no longer having a roommate to tip onto the floor to wake him up was proving to be a problem. Seth hated getting up early, of course his definition of early was anything before ten in the morning, so he almost always had to get up 'early'.

Sister Alice watched the frantic antic's of her favourite charge. Ever since that fateful night when he had been placed in her care she had felt that this child more so than any other was her special charge, and so over the years their relationship had evolved into a parent child bond rather than the usual ward and guardian relationship experienced by most of the children. Then of course Seth had spent almost his entire life in the home being cared for by Sister Alice and the other Sisters, so it made sense.

Five minute's later Seth came careening down the stairs, screeching to a halt only long enough to grab his lunch and a piece of toast-to-go from Sister Alice, who was waiting in the entryway, and then bolted for the door.

"Oy! Seth, didn't you forget something?" yelled Sister Alice.

The ten year old skidded to a halt, whacked his head, giving a sheepish grin, "sorry Sister!" and with a bit more decorum, jogged back to give the nun a goodbye kiss and a hug.

"Have a good last day of term Seth."

"I will Sister!" he cried happily before racing to the door to meet his best friend.

"Mornin' Hermy!"

"It's Hermione Seth, and really, don't you think you should get yourself an alarm clock, I've been waiting for ages. Not to mention you missed breakfast again, and you know breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day after all, and you always miss it. Sometimes I am amazed you manage to do so well in school, considering you are only running on half your cylinders as you always seem to do."

Seth grinned as his friend launched into one of her usual morning diatribes. A lot of people were put off by Hermione's bossy manner, and almost encyclopaedic collection of useless titbits of information that no-one really cared about, but Seth always felt it was kind of cool having a friend who actually knew why breakfast was important or who discovered the theory of gravity.

"I have three alarm clocks remember Hermy, after all you gave me two of them."

"Mmm maybe I should get you a bigger one," mused Hermione, "and stop calling me Hermy."

"Sure thing Hermy" Seth replied cheekily and ran off down the driveway giggling.

"Seth! you wretch!"

--

Two weeks later found the kids settling into holiday life, due to Hermione living only two streets away they had become quite inseparable over the years since they first met in the library at school. Now however their time together was made bittersweet by the knowledge that Hermione would be going to secondary school the following year, she was a year older than Seth, and the two friends would be separated.

"Seth," began Hermione, with a unusually sombre expression on her face.

"What Hermy?"

"Um, I don't know how to tell you this, but I got an offer to go to a special high school up in Scotland somewhere, but its a boarding school." As she told Seth all this you could see it was breaking her heart to think that wouldn't be going to the same school anymore, tears started to form in her eyes, and she started sniffing. It wasn't fair, he was her best friend and she couldn't even tell him where she was going, or even that she was a witch. A witch, those words still gave her a thrill of excitement, it was unbelievable really but Professor McGonagall had been very convincing.

"So you got your Hogwarts letter then?" said Seth with a grin.

"Umm yes... WHAT!!... HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HOGWARTS!" squealed Hermione in surprise.

"Well now I know you are magical as well I can tell you. Both my parents were magical and my when my mum left me here that night she told Sister Alice I would be going to Hogwarts one day. Sister Alice is a squib, her sister in Ireland is a witch and she teaches in one of the Wizarding primary schools there, when I went on holiday with Sister Alice last summer I stayed with them."

To say Hermione was stunned, was like saying that the surface of the sun would cook a roast beef in record time. Her eye's were bulging and her hand was suspended in mid air like a toy plane hanging in a baby's frieze above a cot. Without warning she squealed with delight launching herself at Seth in a headlong dive, wrapping her arms around him as the crashed off the playground bench to the ground.

"Umm..., H.er..my, ne..ed air.." gasped Seth trying to breath, witch is hard when you have your sobbing friend choking you to death in delight. Still there were worse ways to go Seth supposed, like being buried alive in rice pudding, he hated rice pudding.

""Oh sorry Seth," sniffed Hermione with a massive smile on her face, "I guess I got carried away there for a moment, but why didn't you tell me about you being a wizard?"

"For the same reason you couldn't tell me about going to Hogwarts silly. The secrecy laws of course. I was fairly sure you were going to get a letter though as I got a magic vibe from you on a couple of occasions, especially the day we first met."

Seth thought back to that day, before they had been friends Hermione had been relatively ostracised by the other children, and had often hidden herself away from the other children in the nooks and crannies of the school to avoid bullying. On one occasion Seth had suddenly sensed a telepathic scream for help, and to his eyes there was a sudden burst of light from the Arts storage room on the second floor of the building. No one else seemed to have noticed it though, and so Seth had race up the stairs to see what had happened. Yanking over the door he saw the resident bully Andrew Dobson standing over Hermione calling her horrible names, and behind him one of his regular cronies Frances Albright, was sitting back against the wall looking dazed. Seth decided enough was enough, Sister Alice had always taught him to speak nicely to girls and to stand up for those in trouble, so he marched over to the larger student, tapped him on the shoulder, and with a polite "excuse me" hit him in the stomach as hard as he could. Seth while no jock was surprisingly strong for his age, and Andrew went down like a ton of bricks, gasping with the pain of being nearly lifted off his feet by a blow to his solar plexus. Leaning over the bully he looked him in the eye and said "leave my friend alone in future or I might just get really irritated, ok?" Ignoring the stunned look on the bullies face he reached down his hand to Hermione and lifting her to her feet said "come on Hermione, you don't wanna sit in places like this, you never know what might slither in." From that day forward the two had been inseparable.

So tell me everything, was the letter magical, did it like, fly in on its own wings or something, have you got a wand yet, what about a familiar?"

Laughing at her friend's excitement, Hermione began recounting all the details of the arrival of the letter.


	3. Chapter 3 Pen Pals and Dreams

In due course Hermione went off to Hogwarts, the two friends vowing to keep in contact via Hermione's owl that she got on her trip to Diagon Ally when went to get her school supplies. Seth had gone with her and had a marvellous time looking at all the strange sights and sounds with Hermione. He couldn't wait till he went as well.

Dear Seth,

Well I'm here at Hogwarts finally, a five hour train ride can you imagine it, I would have thought magic could speed it up a bit. Its the most beautiful castle you have ever seen, like something out off a Disney movie only a thousand times better. The other kids are ok, some nice some horrible. I met this boy on the train who was really nasty, remember Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, well he started this year, and him and a couple of his henchmen were really nasty to me on the train, kicking me out of the compartment I was in because they wanted it for themselves. He seems like a complete prat actually, like a male Paris Hilton. After that I met some others who were ok, one boy Neville was quite nice in a quiet sort of way, but I am really missing having you around. I was sorted into Ravenclaw (yes I know you aren't surprised) all you do is wear an old hat and it talks to you, I really dont know why I got so worked up. The hat offered me Gryffindor as well, but that Harry Potter boy went into Gryffindor (he insisted in being sorted first, it took forever and it looked like the hat was arguing with him because it said "fine Gryffindor then!" in a cross tone. There was no way I wanted to be in the same house as him. Well I better go and find my classes, I've told Hedwig to wait long enough to get a return letter, so write me ok?

Love

Hermione

--

Dear Hermy,

I'm sorry you seem to be having mixed experiences there, but don't worry only one year and then I'll be there to back you up. Hogwarts wont know what hit them when the two of us get together again. I must say having a male Paris Hilton in the school doesn't sound like much fun, she seems horrible on tv so I can't imagine what it must be like having something similar in person.

Things have been really quite without you here, so I have mainly been catching up on my tv and reading. Oh yeah, Sister Alice took me and some of the older kids to see the new Star Wars movie the other day, seriously cool! I think I wanna be a Jedi when I grow up, hey I wonder if magic can work like that. Do you think I could get a real lightsaber through magic?

Luv

Seth

--

Dear Seth,

It's horrible I don't know who else to talk to, I can't tell my folks or they'll stop me from coming to Hogwarts, and mostly I love it here. I was nearly killed by a troll the other day. And before you start freaking I am fine, just a few small cut from the bits of broken porcelain. Mmm maybe I should start at the beginning, Potter and some of his friends said some really nasty things to me, and I went and sat in the bathroom crying and trying to pull myself together. Just as I was about to go back to the Great Hall for dinner this massive troll wander's in and starts smashing everything in sight trying to squash me. I've never been so terrified in my life. Fortunately Neville Longbottom had noticed I was missing and told Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick and they arrived just in time to save me. He's been a really good friend to me this year, the other Gryffindor tease him allot because he is quiet and doesn't get good marks in most subjects, but he's really kind to people, me especially, and knows almost everything about plants. We usually study together in the library in the evenings, I think I would have gone mad with out him here to talk to. Well I've got go I'll see you at Christmass.

Love

Hermy (Yes I have finally given up you not using that unauthorised nickname - even Neville is using it now after seeing one of your letters!)

--

Dear Mr Longbottom,

I would just like to thank you for being there for my friend Hermione and looking out for her. I feel deeply relieved that she has someone at Hogwarts like you, who will support her with their friendship. Although we have yet to meet I feel like I already know you through Hermione's letters, and I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for being instrumental in saving her life on Halloween. I consider myself in your debt.

Sincerely

Seth Darkmayne.

--

Dear Mr Darkmayne,

No thanks are necessary because Hermione has likewise been a good friend to me. I would never hesitate help her. I look forward to introducing myself properly next year when you come to Hogwarts.

Sincerely

Neville Longbottom

--

Seth was pacing the entryway anxiously awaiting the arrival of Hermione, it had been _ages_ since he had last seen her in the flesh, and he had really missed his friend. And he now had a rather lot to tell her, things he couldn't put in his letters, too risky, after all they had no assurance that Wizarding mail wasn't monitored. Lost in his thoughts he nearly didn't hear the approach of his bushy haired friend.

"Seth!!" Hermione cried as she enveloped him in a massive hug, made more constrictive than usual due to her large winter parker.

"Hermy! I'm so glad to see you, I have _heaps_ to tell you."

"What? I mean it's only been a week since your last letter after all." she said looking puzzled.

"Well there been some stuff happening that I didn't want to put in a letter, come on lets go out to the playground, I'll tell you there."

"Seth, It's freezing outside, you know the white stuff, snow? Can't you tell me in here?"

"Nah, besides, I'll need some room to demonstrate some things, and there'll be no-one out there now so we'll have complete privacy."

Intrigued despite herself, Hermione acquiesced and followed Seth out into the cold, round the back of the Orphanage to the playground at the back of the property. She was grumbling the whole way that it had better be worth freezing to death over, as it wasn't like she was allowed to do warming charms now she was back home.

Seth grinned when they arrived.

"So what so important we have to freeze so you can tell me."

"Maybe I should show you, instead," he replied with a smirk holding his left arm across his chest like a Roman salute he said "SHIELD!"

Instantly Seth was encased in a glowing golden sheath of energy, Hermione's jaw dropping open wide in surprise.

"What.. How.. That's impossible!, most third year's can't even do the shield spell! And yours, it looks so strong, most of theirs are barely even visible. Hang on! You didn't even say the spell, and you don't have a wand! Seth... How... How did you do that?"

"I had a dream about two month ago, and several more since then. In the first dream a boy who looked just like me appeared and said he was me from my future, and that in the future I had sent some of my memories back to the me now so I could learn some stuff about who and what I am, stuff no-one else could teach me. He said he came back, because in his memories that is how he learned, he kind of went on a bit about time being circular or something, and how this didn't contract the paradox of something rule, anyway I kind of tuned out for a bit till he got to the interesting stuff." Hermione was standing there like someone just paralysed by the gaze of a Sphinx, eye's wide, mouth open, he had never seen her look so amazed.

"Anyway he, or me I guess, went on to say I am something called a Rune Mage, I can do normal magic just like a regular Wizard, but I can also do Rune Magic which is less versatile but more powerful. Rune magic works through having magical runes tattooed onto your body, and they act as a focus for the magic within us much like a wand does. You wouldn't believe how bad his first explanation was, talk about overcomplicated." Seth rolled his eyes. "Now unlike magic, you don't just go and learn a new spell and away you go, you have to grow into the rune magic. When you are magically ready for the next level of ability the Runes relevant to that level of power will magically appear on your body in the appropriate places. I have six runes at the moment, the heart and mind glyphs, which form the basic connection to my magic, without them it doesn't work. I also have shield as you just saw, mage missile, stealth, and mage sight. As I get older and more powerful I will get more and more."

"Wow! So what do they do?, the other glyphs?"

"Well Mage sight gives me the ability to see magic, and analyse what I am looking at, from what he said I'll be able to tell what spells are directed at me by their colour and shape in time, as well as being able to see though most magical disguises and wards, should be dead useful at Hogwarts from what you have said, not much use around here though the only magic I have been able to look at is my Mum's locket which has a low level protection charm on it, and your owl, which has some funky colours in it, but I'm not sure what they mean."

"As for stealth..." Seth faded from view till only the faintest outline was visible on the surrounding playground. He then faded back into view with a smirk.

"He say's as I get stronger and practice more I'll get batter at it and eventually I'll even more invisible than if I was using an invisibility cloak. I've already used this quite a bit to sneak into the kitchen to get ice cream, but I think Sister Alice is starting to suspect me, she knows I'm the only magical kid here after all."

Hermione laughed at that, "Yes I am sure she be watching you like a hawk, nothing get's past her. So what about the Mage Missile?"

"Well..." Seth quickly looked around to make sure no-one was watching, and then took aim, with his right palm pointed at a large snowman on the other side of the playground. Without a sound or any warning a ball of while light about the size of a grapefruit formed in front of his hand in in an instant blasted towards the snow man. With a muffled crrrummp! The snowman exploded into a shower of melted snow and chunks of ice. Hermione turned to Seth aghast.

"Seth! That!... that's!... r..r..really d..dangerous you could really hurt someone with that!"

"Don't worry Hermy, that was my current maximum burst, I can also do much more gentle one that wouldn't do anything more than stun a person." and so saying he summoned another one about the size of a golf ball, and sent speeding to the bedraggled remains of the snowman. This one just seemed to give a small sizzle of sparks on contact and that was it, no crump.

"I see, well it's still dangerous, so don't go practicing on people." she said looking a little more relived after his demonstration of control.

"Of course I wont, Hermy, since when have I ever been one to hurt people by choice?" asked Seth a little insulted.

"Sorry Seth I know you wouldn't, you just surprised me that's all. So can we go inside now I'm freezing!"


End file.
